Opera, Romance and Last Chances explored in Little Colonel’s production of “The Last Romance”

The Last
Romance opened at Little Colonel Playhouse Thursday night to a happy wined-and-dined
crowd. It’s a romance of the older generation, but the characters are young at
heart and filled with humor so the production will be entertaining for people
of any age. It is a play about growing old, immigrant life, opera and dreams. The
show is a bit sentimental at times; but there’s an earnestness and honesty to
it that makes it worth watching.

The strength of the production is that the
performers stayed grounded by refusing to play up the sentiment too much. The
heartbreaks in this play are small, piercing ones – nothing grandiose or
obvious – and the actors and the directors seem to understand this and allow the
feelings to come out naturally without pushing for too much emotion.

The characters themselves are uniquely drawn
Hoboken Italians. The central character Ralph (Howard Whitman) is a life-long
romantic who once dreamed of singing on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. Whitman
does well to play up that romantic spark and charm of Ralph, though he misses
some of the physicality that would make Ralph really come alive. Ralph is sensual,
he loves opera, and he is emotional. If Whitman had found a way into some of
these characteristics, it would have given more levels to Ralph and added
interest. There is something slightly unpredictable about a character like
Ralph, and this is what makes him attractive.

Sharon Cardwell, as Rose, seemed to capture the
characteristic Jersey Italian more vividly in her performance but without
stereotyping. She portrays Rose as a serious woman, well meaning but without a
lot of humor. We can see that life has been hard on her and unfairly so. She’s
rough around the edges, and veal scaloppini means a lot to her. These are
aesthetic, sensitive people as sensual as they are old and grumpy. When Carol, Ralph’s love interest, comes
into this world, she doesn’t fit into that picture. In
contrast to Ralph and Rose, she is buttoned up and prim. There is a great
contrast between the two actresses. As crotchety as Rose is, Carol, played by
Grace Poganski, is equally measured and prim. The cultural divide between the
two women was clearly drawn.

Because most of the action in The Last Romance is relatively still, the play relies on variations
in the mood of the characters to keep us interested. There isn’t really a set
per say, or very much action. But what could have moved it along more quickly
would have been a deeper physical commitment on the part of the actors. The
play did drag slightly during the first act, which takes place in the park. This
had to do with the pacing of the performers. They seemed slow to pick up cues
at times, and the rough urban pace was lost.

That being said, the play picked up a great deal in
the second act, partially due to the variety of locations and the rise of the
action. Simply put, more things happen in the second act. There were also some
moving moments during these scenes, particularly between the two women, that
felt truthful. In one scene, Carol and Rose confront each other over Carol’s
intensions with Ralph. You get the feeling that these women will never be
friendly but they are united by their mutual love for Ralph – one romantically,
the other sisterly It’s a great quiet
scene.

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